This day was certainly turning out to be a mix of unusual events happening. From extra early waking up, to sleeping on the keyboard, through chats, to dates. In fact, that was probably quite the abnormal day, for the lack of a better word to use. At least in his opinion, it could definitely be called so. If only because something like this happened maybe once in a blue moon, and technically more or less never, since it's not like he dated around, thus making that final occurrence a specialty of its own. And quite a splendid one indeed. Splendid enough that Sharaku found himself mildly frowning at a mirror in front of his face around 40 minutes before the planned meet up. At the end of the day, he still had to wonder as to just why did he even agree to this all in the first place. After all, more often than not, he would sooner see himself kicking a person who tried to suddenly pull moves on him all they way to the moon and beyond. Then again, most people were pretty unpleasant when doing that, so maybe that was the problem? Unbelievably subtle hints never worked on him well, since he would likely not even realize that the person wanted something of him, and the kinds of people who would walk over trying to pick you up while pretty much breathing down your neck and compromising your personal space right away were frankly a lost cause in his mind. So perhaps the guy's honest approach was what gave him the good start in the end. Although it still did not make this situation any less...weird. Not necessarily in a bad way or such, but just flat out strange, simply for what it was.

Yes, he understood the concept, and the fact that this was more or less necessary if one wanted to have a chance at aiming for something more, but that did not make things any less complicated, now did it? Frankly, he was surprised he had actually gone for this, instead of telling the guy to plan this at least a few days later. Sudden hang outs had never been his forte, but at the same time, he had a feeling that getting on with it instead of pushing it away may be for the better in some way. Well...it wasn't that he was super worried or such, but it isn't like he could say he knew what he was getting himself into either. Which one of them would actually end up having a harder time with this was the million dollar question at the moment...

Speaking of moments, he couldn't spend an eternity staring at his reflection either, even if he was more or less done with preparations at that point since he couldn't just teleport to where he needed to go. Thankfully, getting there wouldn't take him long, but still. Sigh. Time to get moving...

...on second thought, maybe he could have spent some more time on stuff after all. Or maybe he just overestimated the time, since he somehow still ended up being good 15 minutes early. Early was arguably much better than late however, so he wasn't going to complain about that, seeing as those few minutes would have changed nothing, had he spent them on something else than waiting. With a huff, he would lean against a wall in front of the building, closing his eyes for the moment, thinking about stuff while he was still alone...

Info:

Since I managed to write this without putting a clothing description in, and I don't want to try to patchwork it in there now, I'll just put this stuff here. Just like during the dungeon, he's more or less wearing black, although he looks less roguish then before lol (since he did kinda wear a leather jacket and stuff in that one)

Except that both of his sleeves are like done the short one, instead of two different styles. Plus his top is somewhat shorter at the back, and doesn't literally look like a big cape. Outside of that, he's wearing his typical golden hoop earrings, and currently has black painted nails to go with his black get up. If you want any more specifics, feel free to ask me in chat. Knowing myself, I may have forgotten something important enough lol

The moment he had typed his last message, he sat a few moments to see if the other would type something back. When he recieved nothing, he would nod to himself inwardly before going through the motions of turning off the web book and then closing the blinds so he could get ready. The basic things he did on autopilot before pausing to view himself in the bathroom mirror. While his form was more or less familiar, he took notice of the uncomfortable expression on his face. Nerves….that is what they were called. They didn’t look bad on him, but he had to get rid of that lost pup look if he wanted to make an impression, but more importantly than that was getting rid of this damn anxiety.

Leaning forward, he would rest his hands on the bathroom counter and look down at the sink taking a moment to fight against anxiety and all the random thoughts that were cropping up in his head making his internal balance go haywire. He honestly didn’t like this aspect of himself, but at the same time, he gave himself space to deal with it and get himself together. This was a familiar yet still new thing...this dating matter and in a way a big step in his life. He wanted things to be perfect and in some form of order. He really did want to impress the other and not come off as a screw up. His mind would plan it all out going to some odd places here and there, but in the end each scenario was to complicated or too flawed in his mind. He could see the issues of this or that being too much or maybe even rubbing the other the wrong way. Plans went in and they went out of his brain in a chaotic mess that took a few moments to shut down and silence. Once he found that peace though, he could see clearer as he glanced back up at his own reflection with a sheepish smile.

He was a sad mess, but even messes can get things to work if one just took it all in one step at a time, so that is what he would do. Letting out a quiet breath, he would relax as he shook his head and moved to finish getting ready again.

Despite the minor break down and having to hunt down his keys, by some miracle Rika was dressed and heading towards his door within good time. As he moved across his small space, he used a bit of his powers to make his wings and horns disappear. While he could walk around his apartment like that, going out amongst the people in that form or any other was a no go. It was alright for one person to know the truth, but he didn’t exactly want to wig out the normal folk by simply being himself either. He might be able to get away with it at anime convention or something, but this wasn’t one of those things. Anywho he was ready now, so then out the door he went. Right.

Making sure to grab everything he needed, he exited his apartment just as the girl down the hall opened her door and after peeking around a bit like a lost child, she would grin as she spotted him. Pausing Rika would tilt his head at her and give a small wave that for whatever reason or another caused the girl to giggle and run back inside. Heh. Strange gal, but a minor thought in his mind as he turned to the stairs and went down them and towards the parking lot to find his bike.

A short drive later (causing him to arrive 5 minutes after Sharaku), Rika would pull up to the school on his bike and after spotting the taller male leaning against the wall, he would take a moment to take in the look he had going on there. Nice. Very nice, but he couldn’t stare all day now could he? Recovering rather quickly from that, he would easily keep the bike in place as he leaned back a bit and took off his helmet resting the item in front of him as he glanced back over at Sharaku who seemed to be lost in thought or something.

“Hey handsome! Going to sleep already?” he would call out to him his voice carrying easily enough to the other over the distance. His wording got some looking his way, but when they found that he wasn’t addressing them most just went on their way and that was that.

So there are some differences here. He does have the sleeveless jacket on, but it falls down his waist and is tailored to him. His shirt is of similar length, but all black and the pants he is wearing do hug him and are also black. He is wearing comfortable black boots. He does not sport any of the long pieces on the arms or legs. His hands are bare, but he does has jewelry like in this picture and his hair is falling in its usual chaotic layers. It gives him a simple, classy, yet sexy look of all black. The only color happens to be the turquoises hoops in his ears and his nails that are painted the same color. He appears to be completely human.

Unlike the other, he was far from worried about things needing to be perfect. Of course, he would not want to participate in something he happened to dislike a lot, or something that went very badly for whatever reason, but outside those big kinds of issues, he didn’t care as much. If anything, he probably needed to worry more about getting along with the guy, and not getting into pointless clashes as was typical. After all, he had never been the biggest people person, and that was likely one of the main reasons as to why stuff like dating was normally not high on his agenda at all. Assuming there even was someone who would go after him based on something else than his looks alone. There probably have been people who at first wanted to do that, but backtracked once they had to face some of the friction they haven’t planned for. He usually didn’t pay people enough attention to actually catch that happening though, unless they were super obvious, and that didn’t really help all too much either. Regardless, the kind of perfection the other was being super antsy about wasn’t quite what he was after at the end of it all, and hopefully the guy would come to realize that sooner or later.

That said, he couldn’t know what was going to happen anyway, and he wasn’t even thinking about much as he waited in his spot at the wall. He sure could have, but maybe there just wasn’t a point in doing that. Besides, were he to try and figure things out, he would kind of go against his own decision to let the other take the lead in this outing. It wasn’t exactly like him to let himself stay in the dark and have someone else dictate the game, but it was probably for the better to avoid accidentally pushing the guy around. And honestly, with how willing the demon was to rely on his word when it came to decisions on these matters, he’d really rather not play into that more. The guy needed to be able to use his own imagination to get things done sometimes.

Speaking of imagination however, while he wasn’t pondering over anything specific, he still wasn’t paying a great amount of attention, so his response to being called out would end up being slightly delayed, rather than him reacting the moment he heard that. He would a few moments later though, crossing his arms over his chest as he opened his eyes to look at the source of disturbance. ‘’Not this time around. Although I sure could.’’, he would snort faintly as he pushed off the wall to walk over to the other, for now simply observing the situation. He wasn’t sure why the guy decided to come the way he did, but all he could do was wait and see….

Despite being nervous about the situation as a whole, the dark haired male wouldn’t let the what-ifs trying to start panic wars in his mind get to him as he kept himself grounded in the moment. He couldn’t predict anything that would or would not happen and could not say if a screw up here or there would do much in the end. He wasn’t perfect and couldn’t be perfect. He knew this and yet that agitating nagger in the back of his head wanted him to be perfect and be the best he could be. It was a constant battle within that with some work, he would probably get a handle on in time, but for now he kept it at bay mentally as his body language remained relaxed as an easy smile came to his face as the other came over to him.

“Am I coming off that boring already or are you comfortable sleeping wherever?” he would ask as he stuck his tongue out lightly at the other in a playful manner. He was teasing a bit and didn’t let it go overboard as a few minutes later, he reeled the play back in as he looked the other up and down lightly. “You look nice,” he would say in a softer tone as he gave the other a gentle smile. He would give the other a chance to react to that before shifting gears to the the task at hand. “In any case, we’re gonna need to take a bit of a ride to get where we are going. So you know how to ride?” he would ask as he looked up at the other. It was true he had his bike, but honestly he did not own a car. Not a problem really since on the off chance the other couldn’t ride, they could always find other ways to get to where he was trying to go. Or if the other was nope on going out of the town at all, that was fine too. He would just adapt to the matter at hand.

''Neither, but the previous silence would have been nice for that. As much as I don't think sleeping while standing is really possible.'', he would remark nonchalantly in the face of the poking with a slight tilt of his head. He wasn't sure whether he was really getting the funny part of this, but might as well sort of go along. Not like the subject of sleeping would be any important in the long run. At least he certainly doubted it was about to matter any.

He would blink a few times at the sudden compliment that followed. ''Thanks...?'' For some reason, he felt kind off odd about this, but there wasn't anything to legitimately complain about after all. That little strangeness spike aside though, he had other things to worry about for the moment. Like the fact that they were apparently going somewhere decently far based on what he was being asked. Well, it wasn't exactly something to really worry about, but the method of travel was definitely not one he would have expected to come up. ''I should be able to...'', he would answer, trailing off slightly as he furrowed his brows a bit at the scenery. ''...though, I assume you want me tag along with you. I've never been on one of these in any other way than on my own, so I'm not sure how that works exactly. I suppose I'll live however.'' Well, he had never had a reason to do stuff like this with someone before, thus it was a little...different? What do you even hold onto when doing that? The other person?

Heh. Sharaku really was cute. While the guy seemed to go along with the light tease, Rika wondered if the other actually got the joke or just decided to be nice and go along with it. Did it really matter in the end? Not really and it was kind of nice not to be slapped down just for being his goofy self, so that was a plus. The demon appreciated this as his playful grin settled into a gentle smile.

"It is possible to sleep standing up. Wouldn't advise doing it though for various reasons." Such as falling over or actually hurting yourself from being leaned against something at an odd angle. Yeah....not a good choice at all. Anywho...

Rika would take in the reaction the other had to his compliment. He wasn't sure if the guy was uncomfortable with it or not, but at the same time he decided not to pick this apart and making a mountain out of literally nothing. The guy wasn't acting negatively to it and had even said thanks so that was good right?

Well it was going to be a good today as the demon let out a light hum and gave the other a nod in a way saying "you're welcome" or "sure" without saying the words while he gave the other a content smile. He was okay with the awkwardness and to be honest this was a small thing in comparison to the other issue at hand namely the bike riding and tagging along.

“Well, I wouldn’t be asking such a question if I didn’t wish for you to tag along. Nor would’ve I asked you to waste time in coming either now would I?” the demon would say, his words gentle as he kept the smile on his face for a bit longer and then becoming a bit more serious, he would tackle the next issue with a light frown as he considered how to explain it all.

“Well it shouldn’t be too hard. All you have to do is get on behind me and wrap your arms around my waist and then hold on. If we have to make a turn or something, you just lean with me to keep the bike balanced,” he would say with a light shrug. Yeah it was simple being explained, but in practice it could be more difficult if the other tensed up or simply did not trust. Bad things could happen, but that was with anything. So instead of worrying about the bad, the demon would focus on the positive as he shifted a bit forward on the bike to give the other room. “It’ll be fine. Come on,” he said as he held out the helmet to the other.

Well, he didn’t necessarily get the joke, although he was aware that there was likely meant to be one. It just didn’t come off super funny to him on spot. Not bad either that is, just not quite obviously amusing to him. Honestly, whatever though. Not like the aim of this was to see who could pull off a funnier comment after all. ‘’Fall asleep, yes. Although I do wonder how would one not just fall down one way or another, and wake themselves up in a rather unpleasant way. Unless they can sleep even through toppling over and hitting a hard surface.’’ Even leaning against a wall, you can just tip over to the side easily and kiss the floor sideways when not in control of your balance, which you certainly aren’t when asleep. Maybe someone experienced can pull it off, but really, why even try to be a pro in that kind of thing…?

Anyway…he wasn’t full on uncomfortable with that comment. It was more like he just didn’t really know how to react to it properly. So in that way, it was mildly awkward, perhaps. That was nothing new though, since while he was certainly quick to butt heads and quip back in most situations, these types of exchanges were not really included. He could be nice, sure, but he was definitely less smooth when it came to compliments and generally any lovey dovey kinds of stuff.

‘’I know. That’s why I’m bringing it up.’’ If he hadn’t thought that such was what Rika wanted of him, then he likely wouldn’t have addressed the matter at all, as it would have been largely unnecessary. He was still wondering just where did the guy even want to go that such a ride was needed in the back of his mind, but the current ‘issue’ was a bit more important for the moment. And guess his assumption was more or less correct. The turns part wasn’t really something he was bothered about, since it wasn’t all that different from when one was on their own, aside from having to pay attention to it without being the one at the front. However, he wasn’t sure how he felt about basically having to half-hug the guy, which he had kind of suspected would be the case, but still. Technically speaking, the two of them haven’t even touched before this. During that other world trip, they were more or less focused on battling enemies and just spoke to each other really. So this kind of came off as pretty random. And maybe just a little bit of an awkward train to hop onto full swing.

It wasn’t like he didn’t trust the guy and thought they were going to crash or something like that, but this was really not what he expected to be doing first thing. Solely because of the random hugging involved, even though it was just for practical purposes. For a moment, he would give the guy an odd look, but then shake his head, choosing to stay silent for now as he stepped closer, pausing for a moment as he was offered the helmet. Contemplating it for a short while, he would eventually wave a hand at the demon. ‘’If you only have that one, you can keep it. It would just be bothersome anyway, since trying to fit my hair inside that would be uncomfortable, and keeping it out makes it get in the way as well.’’ Sort of, since it would make it harder to push the back of the helmet low enough due to that, and doubly so if he wanted to keep his hair in a ponytail and not have to let it down to make things easier.

Whether or not, the taller male got the joke or not was a small matter that Rika took note of somewhere in the back of his mind. What was interesting though was how sleep and where one slept had became a mini topic somehow. Was Rika bothered by this? Nope. He just went with it as he took in the other’s response. He would give the matter some thought before shrugging. “I think most would begin to fall and wake up before hitting the floor unless they were too tired to snap out of it beforehand. As for colliding with something and not waking up, the only way I see the that happening is if they either passed out, was drunk, or knocked themselves out completely upon contact with the object or floor. Otherwise I think most would wake up,” he would say as he played with a strand of hair as his red color eyes drifted to things around them for a bit. “Though there is a rare chance they can stay up right. Guess it depends on how they end up leaning and such….” If one got lucky, the angle could indeed keep you upright...though the pain one would be in from being crunched up like that for so long was another matter. In any case, he would ponder the matter for just a while longer before shaking his head and pushing it away as he looked up at the other with a light shrug in his own way dismissing the matter unless the other wanted to dig into it further for whatever reason.

Well wherever that went it would go as things became more quiet as compliments and such was passed along. While there was definitely some form of odd stepping there, Rika remained more or less relaxed as he accepted what was occurring and also accepted the fact that the other with him wasn’t going to simply melt or get all flustered from nice words. Though he really meant what he said. The guy did look wonderful in what he wore, so his words weren’t just there to flatter him. Though whether or not such things was appreciated was left up to the other to decide in the end. He supposed if the other didn’t care for what he said, he would’ve fussed by now. Anyway….

“Mmm,” the demon would nod at the comment accepting it without giving much push back to it. There was no reason to really. The other had just brought up a matter that happened to be relevant to the situation and that in turn kind of brought clarity to any uncertainty that may have been out there about just what the demon was wanting from the other. Though it seemed with one thing cleared another move issue moved in as the demon pretty much explained how to bike ride with another. He took note of the hesitation and the odd look given, but didn’t quite understand why it was happening.

Unlike the other he didn't think to deeply into the matter of the other actually having to half hug him or be in his space in order to ride the bike with him. He just saw the process as normal, so he was a bit confused as to what was going on here. A bit concerned, he would search the other’s eyes for answers, his head tilting at the other as he gave him a questioning look in turn. Did he have something to say? Did something about this bother him? The demon honestly wanted to ask, even more so when the other settled for shaking his head and silence as he moved closer. Hmmm..they would probably need to talk about the silences when something was on one’s mind, but that could come later since a different matter decided to take the stage when the odd moment passed.

As the other waved off the offered helmet and gave reasons as to why he didn’t want to wear it, Rika would give him a slightly narrow look. It wasn’t hostility just disapproval. “True this is my only helmet for now; however, I would feel better knowing you are protected,” he would state in a calm tone still offering the helmet, trying slightly to push the matter forward, but not in such a way that the guy was being commanded to do something. More like he was hoping he would take his advice and wear the thing any way. He would just have to wait and see what happened in the end though.

Well, there were still things he could have said on the topic, that was for sure. However, with how the other kept shrugging about it and all, plus how random it was, his interest simply wasn’t high enough anymore. Thus, he would opt to stay quiet and say nothing. Though to be honest, he didn’t really think that just the angle of leaning would save the person. That only supports your back and maybe upper body in general. But if your legs give out once you’re not conscious anymore, you aren’t about to keep standing up, wall or no wall behind you, whether you end up on your knees and subsequently faceplant, or the other way around and more or less sit down in a probably not so comfy way. Most people’s muscles probably did not keep holding them up all the time when not awake, or at least that’s what he’d think.

Either way…well, no, he was not the one to get flustered super easily, although it was certainly a possibility if the person worded themselves in a lucky way, or pressed with the behavior long enough for him to crack in some manner. Maybe even the right timing could be of use. Usually however, his reaction was either seemingly absent, or some degree of uncertainty. Being clueless about it was a possibility as well, though that would mean that the person was likely way too subtle about it, or passing nearly non-existent hints over in an attempt to be super smooth and failing spectacularly.

Speaking of uncertain and all over the place matters, the ride was apparently becoming one of them, thanks to the impromptu space invasions that were required. Yes, he was definitely more focused on that over other things, and there was no denying that for the moment. Maybe the demon was used to such, and saw it normal because he did do it normally, but it wasn’t the same for both of them. In all honesty, he couldn’t even remember when was the last time he had to be that close to a person. Sure, he was fine with engaging in simple touching like handshakes or such when it was necessary, and he dealt with the rare intrusions from others like what happened way back at the bar, but that was typically as far as it went. Considering how he was hardly used to needing to do this, he would of course take note of it more than the other. He didn’t really mind talking about such things, as proven by their recent quite in depth conversations over chat, but when it came to reality, things weren’t always that simple. It was odd in a way. He could imagine doing it, and it wasn’t like he hated the idea, but it still felt rather weird to think of himself in such a position. Hell if he knew what that feeling meant though, so he was actually none the wiser for the most part. And it wasn’t like he could just decide to nope this, for that would put a rather uncalled for dent in whatever they were going to be doing. That wasn’t something he would want to do, just because of something like this. Guess he would have no other choice but to swallow it….

When the demon gave him those questioning looks and searches, he would pass the guy a rather thoughtful glance for a moment. ‘’….’’ Still, nothing would get brought up for now, and that particular matter would very soon also get cut short due to the push and pull that came about thanks to the helmet issue. In a way, he had half a mind to roll his eyes at the demon, even though he chose to not do that, not really wanting to spark an unnecessary argument by that kind of action. Maybe he just wasn’t in the mood for being worried about at random. It’s not like he was that clumsy or something. Thanks for the doubting? Though frankly, he just didn’t get what the issue was all about. Since there was only one, one of them would have to go without and put themselves in risk. If the demon could be so worried about him, why would he want to let the other take the fall instead? This whole matter could easily go both ways after all, and there was no actual answer to it.

He would raise an eyebrow slightly. ‘’I’d feel better if you’d just trust me. Though I don’t know what’s the point of beating this bush anyway. If I were to take it, you’d be the one taking the risk instead. One way or another, there’s no win to this.’’ Why was it so important? Really, the chances that something bad enough would happen exactly on this ride were likely pretty low by base, and it wasn’t like he would just let himself get smacked that easily. Well, if it was like this already, maybe they were going to be clashing over these matters more often than expected. It didn’t seem like either of them would really want to be the one playing the damsel in distress looking to be protected by their shining knight in armor.

Perhaps the other simply didn’t wish to continue the topic of sleeping while standing up. Perhaps shrugging it off had caused him to lose interest or see no point in such things. The demon had to wonder if the other had more on his mind about the matter, but as long as the other didn’t say anything he wouldn’t do anything to try and extend the matter. Thoughts left unsaid would just remain where they were for now as things rolled into more silence? Heh. It certainly seemed that way.

The whole compliment issue would end at thanks and nods as perhaps each male went into their own worlds of speculation when it came to the matter and how each would or would not act. It was hard to say what the pair were thinking during this time, but maybe it didn’t matter. The silence didn’t seem to be harming anything anyway, so maybe this was okay. Besides there seemed to be more pressing matters afoot such as this staring contest that came about from Rika asking the other to ride the bike.

He still didn’t get it. Didn’t get the hesitation or what was even going on in the other’s mind. Even less so when the other decided to give him a thoughtful look and more silence in turn for his questioning looks and searches. To this the demon would watch the other for a moment with a neutral expression before his left eye narrowed a bit as he tilted his head at the other. He was thinking of poking this silence later, but now it was a bit too much to just ignore.

“What’s wrong?” he would ask, his tone direct, yet gentle at the same time as he looked up at the other as he remained straddling the bike easily enough. The last thing he wanted was for some issue to be afoot and it not being addressed before they left. So might as well address it now rather than dance around whatever was happening here, right?

Well whether it was addressed or not, a different sort of “problem” would come up in the form of the helmet. Now the demon did have the helmet, but for his own protection? Not really. Sometimes he remembered to bring the thing with him, but 9 times out of 10 he forgot all about the helmet and just rode without it anyway. He enjoyed the feel of the wind in his face and freedom of not being restricted by wearing the thing. Still today he made sure to bring it because of the fact he was probably going to have Sharaku as passenger...though now that the this reality was actually happening, he found himself at a strange sort of lock with the taller male as he still refused to wear the helmet and even countered the demon’s earlier attempt with logic.

At first Rika was quiet as he gave the other a look that almost look as if he may just push the matter until the other wore the helmet; however, after a few seconds of simply watching the other with a narrowed expression, the demon woulde eventually blink as he sighed a bit and looked to first the left back side and then to the right back side of his bike seeming to look for something.

“Okay. Fine,” he would begin as his eyes landed on the latch for the storage compartment. He would open it up and then after some work would get the helmet inside of the compartment before closing it up again. It was interesting how the bike was designed like that, but this curiosity didn’t hold his attention for long as his eyes drifted back up to the other.

“There. Now we both win,” he would say as his lips curled into a small smirk. It was true he could’ve been a pain in the ass and wrestled with the guy about the matter, but to be honest the demon really didn’t care for the helmet that much himself and if the other wanted him to just trust him and not be overly worried then he would. There was no reasons to start flame wars over these matters that in the end really weren’t that important to start with. Yes, he was concerned about the other’s safety like any sensible person, but at the same time he wasn’t about to treat him like a baby or damsel in distress because of it, even less so over a thing they both didn’t care to wear anyway.

So much trouble for such a little thing. It was amusing how complicated certain matters could get, even though they technically didn’t need to be. He hadn’t bothered to say anything before, because he didn’t see it as important enough to cause a discussion about. The more they went and talked about stuff, the longer they would be standing in spot and not doing anything after all. Plus, it wasn’t like him to complain about technically simple stuff unless he just really had to for whatever reason. That, and he wasn’t going to avoid it in the end anyway, unless there was a change in plans. That was something he did not want to give the demon ideas about right now. Not because of this.

He would sigh. ‘’Wrong isn’t really the right word to use.’’ It wasn’t that something was wrong in the sense that it would actually need to be dealt with as fast as possible. An unfortunate situation, yes, but that was more or less what it really was in the end. ‘’Don’t mind me. I’m just trying to ignore the fact that I’m going to have to be hugging you for this to work. I can’t even remember when was the last time I did that for any reason, so this is just a little weird. That’s all.’’ Well, generally speaking. Hopefully it wouldn’t cause any kind of upheaval for no legitimate reason. In fact, that was another reason why he hadn’t been super eager to bring this up. He didn’t want to risk the guy misinterpreting the matter, and coming to a less than pleasant conclusion when there was no need for that. That wasn’t something they needed this early on, and it better not go that way…

They did seem to butt heads pretty fast though, so maybe moments like that were more unavoidable than he would like to think. If they could nearly start an argument over some pointless helmet, then they could probably pull each other’s hair out for just about any reason. While the imagery was somewhat amusing, it probably wasn’t something to look forward to in the future. Then again, what did he know? Maybe it wouldn’t end up becoming a big kind of deal in the end, despite how this one appeared.

And luckily enough, at least this current face off wouldn’t end up turning into a big issue. Frankly, he was almost surprised that the guy didn’t keep trying to push it, but he certainly didn’t mind. While he generally liked when people didn’t just back off from him, certain matters really didn’t need to be fought over, and this one surely belonged in that category. ‘’Smart idea. I think I can get behind that one.’’, he would comment in a rather amused tone. Maybe it would just be better this way in the end. And if the other was really that concerned over safety, then he could always get a second one if they were ever to repeat this. That way they wouldn’t have to argue over who takes it and who doesn’t. Though to be honest, he didn’t even like the feel of being stuffed up inside headgear very much. And neither option was completely without faults anyway. Now he would just have to hope he wouldn’t look like a mop after this, seeing as the wind would definitely attempt to blow his hair literally everywhere, and there wasn’t a lot he could do about it.

Now then, it was time to move on, right? Well, sort of. He would settle to sit behind the other easily enough, though for the moment, he would opt to just burn holes through the guy’s back as he stared at him, not yet moving to do anything else…

Clarity. That was all the demon needed sometimes to move past things or understand what was going on in the situation. Clarity helped with many things like tensions and unnecessary fighting, but the type of clarity that the demon received upon prying into the other’s silence and hesitation when it came to the bike was a bit more on the confusing side than anything. The demon would blink a few times at the other trying to process it all before he was frowning a bit as his hand instinctively moved to rub his ear in thought.

“Huh. Never considered it to be an odd thing, the touching matter in this case,” he would begin and then pause as various things went through his mind. Was the demon upset by this? Not at all. While it was true he did desire touch and closeness in realationship, he did not come out here on a bike simply to force the guy to be close to him. In fact, his plan was far from anything touchy. He was just aiming to take the guy out to a place where they could chat and get to know each other a bit more. In time, provided it worked out, all the romantic stuff could be fleshed out….and in the demon's mind super romantic was far off in the future. All he was concerned about now was not messing up too badly here. That was all he could worry about in the end.

Those thoughts would last for only a few minutes before the demon was shaking his head a bit as red eyes looked over at the other. “Well even if it is weird, it won’t last too long. It shouldn’t take us no more than 20 minutes to get to where I want to go, so there is that,” he would say as his hand dropped to his leg as he looked over at the other again. He couldn’t erase what was going to happen nor could he shoo away the guy’s discomfort and he wasn’t going to try to anyway. This situation was what it was, so they would have to deal with it and just work on certain things as they moved along. It was as simple as that.

Just like the solution to the helmet issue was more or less simple….or rather an action that kept the peace. Rika could indeed cause a fuss about things, but sometimes it just wasn’t worth and while he was sure the event ahead would be far from smooth given there personalities and tendency to butt horns….er heads in general, he was going to do his best not to start wars when there was no reason to do so.

The helmet matter was the proof of this path he was going to attempt to take. With that issue resolved, Rika would give a smirk to the comment and nod. “Well that is good to hear,” he would say feeling happy that had ended peaceful. From there, he would wait for the guy to get on, which he did easily enough; however, he would just sit and not wrap his arms around him. Rika who was looking forward at this time would look up at the sky and shake his head a bit at this one as an amused smirk crossed his lips.

Oh boy! This is going to be a very interesting ride…. He would think this for a moment before casually looking over his shoulder at the other, he could see him staring mighty hard at his back, but he did not tease him at all for it as he let out a light sigh. It wasn't agitation. More of the sort of soft breath released when one is trying not to flip out too much about doing things. That aside though, the demon body language remained calm as he reached back and grabbed the other’s wrist gently as he tugged him forward a bit, guiding his hand to the proper spot around his waist area to hold onto. His grip was loose enough that if the other wished to jerk away, he could. He wasn’t trying to force the matter or rush things with this action.

Quite the contrary. he was actually trying to help the guy with the issue. Granted, this might've been too bold on his part, but he didn't stop as he decided in the moment he had moved that he would deal with whatever would happen because of the action. He understood the other could do this on his own, but sometimes guides or light nudges worked too. So one could only wait to see what happened here.

“Unless you speak, the only way I know you are ready to go is if you hold on,” he would tell the other. His words were light and calm. While he knew the guy wasn’t dumb and more than likely wouldn’t just yolo and not hold on if he did take off, he didn’t want the guy to suddenly have to hold onto him for doing such a thing. He understood this was odd for the other and so when he grabbed his hand he didn’t make a sudden motion or anything like that. No, he was actually quite careful and highly alert to the other’s reaction to it all. If at any moment the guy reacted badly to the action, he would stop and that was that. In fact, if the guy did let him guide him to where he needed to hold onto him and did end up leaning against him. Rika wouldn’t take off right away as he gave the guy a moment to get used to the idea of simply being close to him or touching him for that matter. He understood that what was normal for him might not be the same for the other, so he was willing to take this one step at time...though he wondered if the other would see the matter as such or not….

Well, it wasn’t surprising that the demon ended up being confused by the brief explanation given. In fact, he was sure that he would have a mild ‘wtf’ moment himself, were their places switched for this. He probably sounded pretty weird for saying what he had. Of course, there was much more to it than what had been put on the table, but he did not want them to stand here forever while trying to clear this whole thing out. It would defeat the point of actually going out somewhere if they wasted way too much time dissecting little things that popped up each time before even leaving. It wasn’t like he was going to die from doing it after all. On the other hand, he did kind of want to pull his hair out thanks to this. That state of mind would probably pass soon enough though, so he wasn’t extra worried just yet.

He would pinch the bridge of his nose briefly. ‘’It probably isn’t. I think it’s just me. Regardless, you don’t need to bother yourself with this too much. I don’t really mean ‘weird’ in a bad way, so it’s whatever.’’ He didn’t know how to explain it though, so the guy would have to do with what was said the way it was. He wasn’t against touching in general, just….mysterious stuff apparently, which not even he was completely sure he had the answer to. So, even if Rika had it in mind to move things faster, it likely wouldn’t have been as bad as it may seem based on this. As a matter of fact, this was just starting to border on hilarity, as unplanned as it was. Maybe he needed a reboot. Now it was too bad he wasn’t actually a robot, eh? Either way, he would actually laugh under his breath a little when the guy went on to reassure him that it wouldn’t take long and all. ‘’Time is of no relevance here, but nice try. I can’t really explain this right now, so try not to worry over this if you can.’’ Lest it would get more confusing than it already was. Really however, it would be fine. What he was dealing with wasn’t exactly discomfort in the way the other probably thought of it. It was far more complicated than just that.

At the very least, the next mini standoff came to an end pretty quick, and without causing any actual harm, which was a good thing. One less snag to worry about was never a bad thing. Seeing as they still had other small knots to untangle, or so it would appear. Well, that would happen soon enough, wouldn’t it? For a while, he was busy examining the guy’s back, surprisingly with enough focus to not even notice the demon was coming up with plans of his own. Which resulted in him almost jumping when the other grabbed his hand, but it sure snapped him back to reality effectively enough. At first, he opened his mouth as if about to say something, but didn’t end up doing so as he shut it back up in favor of dealing with the situation itself first. Seeing as he didn’t take notice until the last moment, having the other pull at him from one side did offset his balance a little bit. Of course, not nearly enough to cause him any trouble, but the suddenness of this unexpected action thanks to not paying a lot of attention beforehand did make him react without really thinking about it. Which could have been bad for sure, however the guy was apparently having a lucky day, as he would in fact get what he wanted from this. Just maybe in a way that was not what he planned or expected out of this.

With a faint grumble, he would kind of just nope on the given motion speed, and instead push forward faster than the guy was tugging on him, with both of his hands as well. If Rika did not expect that, he would probably be surprised to find himself being held onto quite firmly all of a sudden. Being careful or not, that would likely not end up saving him from this one. Then again, that’s what he wanted, was it not? ‘’I’m going to bite you.’’, he would finally speak afterwards, and while the words could suggest he was making a threat, his tone of voice more or less showed he was just joking. Well, unless the demon actually wanted to get nibbled on, that is. Speaking of which, this was actually awkward for more than one reason. For a moment, he would try to shift around a little, to see how should he even settle. Due to their height differences, it felt a bit awkward to kind of nearly hunch over the other if he leaned close enough. Hmm, was he supposed to use the other’s head as a pillow? Egh, whatever, what mattered most was not falling off after all….

Confusion indeed would come and go over the issue of the other finding the matter of riding with him odd. It was a perplexing thing that without any context or form of explaining, the demon really didn’t get, but at the same time as he watched the other react to his words, he supposed trying to think on it wasn’t going to make things any clearer. Like seriously….this matter would not make sense without the other explaining what exactly “weird” meant for him or how this whole matter actually affected him. A subject that would’ve effectively kept them going no where indeed if the demon had bothered to poke at it more. However, it seemed the taller male was rather lucky today for the usual pokes from the demon would not come.

Rika would keep his mouth shut, his confused expression turning into a slight frown as he listened to the other speak on the matter. "I guess so." He would scratched his head still feeling confused as all get out by the matter. So the matter was odd to the guy alone, but even though it was weird and such it wasn’t bad, so he should just not think about the matter at all and dismiss it...even after all the hesitation and odd looks from before? That was such a flip floppy thing and made it hard for his brain to know what was right or wrong at the moment as it try to logic a situation that could not be logic-ed…(yes it is a word now deal with it >>). The more he tried to stop the process the more he wanted to ponder the matter. The other’s next set of words didn’t help this issue at all as his mind continued to try and figure it out simply because the other gave him no clear cut answers, but even more so than that the taller male told him not to worry...which in turned caused him to do just that. Worry.

While Rika’s expression only showed a minor frown of thought, it took him a good five seconds to actually say something as he eventually shook his head and just let the matter go. He supposed in time, he could figure things, but for now he just needed to not think too much on every little thing. If he kept doing that it would probably cause problems in the end. Sometimes he wished there was an off button for his brain, but alas there wasn’t so he’d just have to deal with it. Anyway….

“Well alright then,” he would begin and then hearing the last part finished with “I think I can I handle it.” He would give a light nod, seeming at least on the surface to be chilled and relaxed as his expression settled back into his usual friendly demeanor. Well at least for now that issue seemed to be put to the side. It would probably come up again with many things down the road, but at least for now the demon wasn’t trying to make long events out of what was perhaps things meant to be discussed later or maybe at length elsewhere. Or perhaps not to be discussed at all.

That matter aside, things would go more less smoothly as things that cropped up folded themselves up neatly enough and without much strife. Things were looking up, but decided to shift into the realm of unknown when the other did not move to hold onto him. While Rika was aware that the other was staring at his back (though why he was staring so much made him wonder if there was something on him), he did not think for two seconds that Sharaku was staring so much that he had actually drifted to some place else in the process, but it seemed this was exactly the case as the other actually tensed at his touch that somehow brought him back to reality and made him aware of things once more.

The tension made the demon cautious inwardly and more so when the other looked as if he was going to protest to the touch; however, when the other didn’t say anything or try to pull away, Rika would continue what he was doing taking note of how the other had been caught off guard and was a bit unbalanced by the action; however, before he could actually properly finish the move, the other decided to make a move of his own rather suddenly.

The only warning he got was a faint grumble and then the other was moving forward faster than he had been tugging. Completely unprepared for the shift in things, Rika instinctively let go of the other’s hand as he was pushed forward a bit from motion and impact. To keep himself from slamming into the bike or toppling it over for that matter, his body automatically braced as his hands went to the handle bar for support and to stop any injuries from occurring. His move was a semi-graceful save, but honestly he wasn’t caring for form as he took a moment to recover from that and settle with the grip upon him now and the warmth that was now close to him. He honestly wasn’t expecting the guy to do that. Had he been a bit slower reacting that might’ve been a problem, but thankfully today was both of their lucky days.

Well that hazard aside, the demon would relax a bit as he heard the other speak. “Heh. Bite me, huh?” he would begin as a smirk came to his face as he looked back over his shoulder at the other. “Well, I know I may seem tasty and irresistible, but just try to behave yourself while I drive, ” he respond back somehow not feeling threatened by the words at all as he played back in his own fashion. He honestly didn’t mind that sort of play and if the other did decide to nip him before they left that was fine. He could handle a bit of play and in turn would get him back when the other least expected it. Regardless of this though, the demon’s eyes would eventually move forward again before he was moving the bike forward and the pair were on their way.

The pathway the demon took would take them through the city via the back roads, the tightly packed buildings becoming more and more spread out until finally they gave away to well trimmed grass and trees and open road. They would continue down the road, the path curving here and there gently as they went along, the wind easily blowing across the pair as they went on. The ride would last for 20 minutes, the landscape shifting from flat to a bit hilly and forest like as time went on. When the ride ended they were in a dirt like parking lot with maybe one or two cars there, but not many. It was far from impressive for sure, but Rika seemed quite proud of himself as he took a moment to let the other get off first before sliding off the bike himself.

Standing he would stretch as he began to walk across the parking lot towards the collection of trees ahead. As he moved he spoke, “Alright now that we are here let’s see what sort of trouble we can get into shall we?” he would say seeming happy about something though what was a mystery since they seemed to have traveled to a quiet nature trail….

Sigh. That was exactly why he had not wanted to really stop and examine this subject. And he almost regretted actually going and doing it, but since the guy did not keep questioning him further and making too much out of very little, he guessed he could deal with it for now. It would seem that talking about more or less irrational matters was destined to doom more often than not, whether it came from the other side or from his own. How troublesome, really. Made it really hard to understand just why did many people think it was worth it, seeing as there was almost always something that got in the way. Really, it wasn’t as if he was having a breakdown over the matter of touching right now, so what even made it look so bad? Just because he felt a certain way about it, and the other couldn’t really understand? Why did everything have to become such a big deal simply because it was put on the table, he would never know….

Technically, it wasn’t that he was bothered by the idea of dealing with it or such. He just didn’t want to end up standing there forever and talking about something that didn’t need to be turned into a mountain on spot. There would surely be enough time for them to do that later, once they weren’t in the process of trying to get somewhere. Which was why he was originally going to stay silent and not bring it up, but that failed when he was asked about it. Of course, he could have refused to answer, but that would have likely come off even worse than this, and he didn’t want that to happen either. Or he could have lied, but that wouldn’t sit well with him. He didn’t like being a liar unless it was absolutely necessary for some reason.

Either way, based on the frowns he got at first, he could tell that the guy wasn’t completely content with the situation, but there wasn’t anything he could do anyway. For one, he really wanted to avoid going deeper into this right now after how it already went so far, and two, he didn’t feel in the mood to tug at the guy to make him actually say what was on his mind for real. Not this time. ‘’Right.’’, he would mutter at the end of it all, although he probably didn’t sound very convinced. Still, there was no point it playing push and pull over this right there and then.

Moving on however, things seemed to brighten up a bit, if nothing else. Well, the change of pace was certainly an improvement, and would hopefully stay that way for a good while. He would certainly appreciate that. Okay, so maybe that all over the place maneuver on the bike wasn’t the best thing ever, it was at the very least amusing to a degree, and no one got hurt from it. Thus, he would call it a success in its own way. Anything that ended up not being a fail probably deserved that achievement when it came to them. After all, it definitely wasn’t super easy to keep things in line all the time, small crashes happened more often that one would expect. While they were only small, it wasn’t really bad of course, but it also couldn’t be denied that they indeed existed.

In any case, while he did push forward a bit suddenly, there wasn’t a huge amount of force behind the motion, so the demon would likely have been just fine, even if he had not made the move to brace himself. It wasn’t like he was jumping onto the guy after all, just doing what needed to be done faster than the original plan. He would snort faintly when he got a response. ‘’I should.’’, he would remark as he shifted a bit. All in all, he didn’t appear to be super bothered by it right now, despite all the ado that nearly happened before. He hadn’t lied when he told the guy to not worry about it too much. It wasn’t really about him having an issue with the closeness in a negative way, although he honestly didn’t know what Rika had been assuming back then. Regardless, he opted to not go through with the bite despite the fact that he could have taken what was said as some sort of dare. What he did do though, was lean his head down a bit to blow some air against the other’s ear. ‘’Don’t worry, I’m always on perfect behavior.’’, he would quip in a low, amused tone. Well, at least someone was having fun…?

Whatever came out of that though, they would eventually take off for real, taking a break from any back and forths for the duration of that at the very least. Wouldn’t want to crash because of shenanigans after all. That would be a pretty bad outcome for both of them. That said, he would spend his time watching the scenery around them for the time being, wondering about where they were going for a bit, but shrugging it off mentally after a while, since he didn’t have any solid idea in the end. Not that he could change it even if he did know, right?

Once they stopped, he would get off, pausing for a while to fix his hair a little as he looked around before moving after the demon. ‘’What is this place anyway?’’, he’d ask with a slightly raised eyebrow. All he saw was a lot of nature everywhere. Were they going hiking or something?

To try and explain why Rika thought and worried the way he did was a matter that could not be explained in words without getting messy. For starters, the how of why he even had the anxiety (and whatever other issues that had yet to unearth themselves) to begin with was a complicated mess that even when drawn out still looked like some weird cross between a spiral and odd lines. Next the issue itself was more complicated than one thought. This problem was a habit and one the human had ingrained deeply within himself before the fusion had even started. It was a habit of worrying so deeply ingrained that it was second nature to worry and then worry about that worrying, beat oneself up for worrying and being pathetic, and so and so on. While the demon might’ve been free of it before, it did not change the fact that now that he was one with the human the problem was now his own.

The only difference here was that unlike the human that refused to move or do something about it and instead sought ways to run from it, RIka wasn’t going to do the same. Yes, he was sure he was going to have some issues and maybe some really bad days for both for himself or whoever he was with, but even so he wasn’t about to let this take over his life and ruin whatever happiness he might be able to find by fighting. It would be a challenge to deal with both for himself and the other, but all he could do is keep trying and pray for the best.

All that information aside though, despite his staring and analyzing of the touch matter much like a confused and stubborn child, the situation wasn’t as bad as it seemed. Well at least not for the other. Sharaku honestly didn’t have to worry too much about Rika flipping out or digging so much into things that it would hurt rather than help. No, the reason for the frowns and silences was mainly for Rika to get his own shit under control enough to react properly to the situation. Though in the end, he had to wonder if his reaction was a good one or not. I mean he did get a mutter in response to it all when he let the subject go and from the tone it didn’t seem like the other trusted him to just handle it. So maybe he sho--

No. Stop. Let go of that railing and don’t board that train. Come back to the present. That stuff doesn’t matter right now. Just chill and deal with the now.

Right.

The demon would do whatever he could to relax himself mentally as he continued to fight against himself internally; however, things changed as an unexpected thing occurred and the situation went from blah to some place a more fun.

The small fright caused by the other unexpectedly deciding to grab him did indeed cause the demon to react on instinct. Even if it was a light impact, the point was he wasn’t prepared for any of it and so even that sudden movement could’ve turned disastrous, but thankfully it did not and in the end the pair remained unharmed and the mood light and playful.

To the whole biting issue, Rika would chuckle lightly as he shook his head at the comment. He was quite amused to be sure and even more amused when the other decided to lean forward and blow a bit of air against his ear. It caused the demon to smirk as his eyes narrowed mischievously at the other as the temptation to say something or do something grew within him; however, instead of acting on impulse for the moment he reeled the play in a bit as he heard the comment that followed. “Oh. I am sure you are,” he would respond back his tone low enough for the other to hear as he gave his eyes traveled over him appreciatively for a moment. He liked a bit of teasing and play and while some might jump all over it, Rika kept himself in check only giving out a enough play to match what was occurring, but not too much to appear to be getting giddy or crazy over the action like a kid.

Regardless of the play there, in time things would eventually settle as the pair finally departed from the the town and after some riding arrived at their destination.

Walking at a casual pace, Rika would take a few steps forward before pausing to look back at the other in relatively good mood as he hooked his keys into one of his belt loops. As he did this he caught the other fixing his hair. Cute, but something the demon didn’t seem to care about when it came to his own hair. He let it be wild and wind blown as he waited for the other to complete his task and catch up. When the other was close enough, the demon would take to walking at his side as he looked on ahead.

“Ah yes. We didn’t tell you the location or game plan did we?” he would begin with a smile. “This place is called Old Fog Nature Path on this side, but on the other it is known as the Forest of the Spirits. A long time ago it used to be a hotspot for spirits and humans to chat and such, but over time humans forgot about the spirits and so many moved out and the place has become very quiet. Even so, it is still pretty special for me. It is a home away from home for us if you will. I thought it would be a good spot to start at since it is a place I actually don’t have to hide myself from humans in and well if we want to get to know each other, then I figured it was best for you to deal with me as naturally as I could come. So here we are.”

He would continue onward, gravely earth slowly mixing with grass the closer they came to the forest ahead.

The other had a wrong idea if he thought the real problem was lack of trust. Frankly, whether the demon could actually handle it or not was something he couldn’t know, and not exactly something he was super bothered by right now, since despite what had been said, the matter wasn’t serious enough for the guy to even need to handle too much there. Hence, that was really not the point. He just didn’t like getting blindsided. While he wasn’t the best at reading people, and didn’t always know what was up for sure, he wasn’t completely oblivious either. He could tell that the other wasn’t necessarily telling him the truth there, and just pretending it was more fine than it actually was instead. Yes, it was true that he did not want to waste ages dealing with this right now, but that did not mean he would prefer the guy to not be honest with him, because honestly, covering things up only makes them blow up later. He didn’t know what was up, but he just knew that not everything was as okay as it was presented to be. And he wasn’t sure how was he supposed to feel about that. What he did know though, was that he didn’t really like it.

That said, he did not want to create unnecessary hell about it right there, so he wouldn’t push the issue, although he would still give the guy a pointed look for a moment. ‘’I’m not going to dig into this right now since we have things to get to, but you might want to work on your poker face if you want to pass things off smoothly. I can tell there is something you aren’t telling me here.’’ And as much as he would have liked to hear it, maybe it would need to wait until they weren’t just standing where they started still.

Moving onto less confusing things for now though, the bit of flailing about due to not exactly being in sync thankfully passed harmlessly enough. He would give a low hmph at the reaction he received, debating whether he should have actually tried to bite the guy. Maybe the reaction would have been somewhat more entertaining in that case. Not that it was boring now, but he had almost expected a bit more than that. Then again, they weren’t really in the position to play around too much at the moment, and god forbid they would end up with a second attempt at knocking someone off the bike. Though with their current position, they would probably both fall off if something like that happened. ‘’You have no idea.’’, he would huff faintly, choosing to leave it at that for the time being. If they kept up that pace, they would never get anywhere, and that would be rather disappointing, right?

One way or another however, they would eventually get a move on, and arrive…wherever it is they now were.

And yes, he liked his hair to at least be decent. Maybe if it were shorter, he could do the same as the demon, but he didn’t want to look like he had hay on his head if he could help it at least a little. A little messy was okay, but his hair wasn’t completely straight even normally, and too much would just look like he got out of bed and went outside like that. Even worse, probably, since sleeping doesn’t make one’s hair look like it went through a hurricane of sorts. Regardless, he wouldn’t spend too much time on that before he turned his focus to wherever they were going.

At first, he would just listen silently as Rika gave his explanation about the place, before giving a low hum. ‘’How much difference does it actually make? Aside from maybe looks, do you act really differently around normal people?’’ He kind of doubted it was that huge of a deal, but what did he know? ‘’That said…what are we going to do there? Somehow I don’t think your plan was just to come here and watch trees or such.’’ Well, it could have been, but it would make for a somewhat strange choice, unless there was some catch to it. Regardless, he would keep following for now...

Issues. They seemed to be everywhere in this situation, only being amplified by Rika’s anxiety and choice not to jump into the deep end quite yet. Did he have issue with the explanation given? Yes. He wanted more clarity on the matter because he was honestly curious about the strange reaction that had occurred when it came to getting on the bike. Did his curiosity and confusion mean he thought the other didn’t or wouldn’t trust him? Not at all. In fact, trust from the other was the furthest thing from his mind. He swallowed what was given easily enough, so the taller male didn’t have to worry about the reaction given being done in response to solely him alone.

No the expression and silences were the end result of the internal battle against himself and his own issues. His choice to let things go and not over-analyze them here was not his way of avoiding the topics there or even trying to avoid the very real issue that was himself. No he had been letting the subjects simmer for now because honestly if he were to poke further, he was quite certain he would just have to park the bike somewhere and the two of them would end up staying in town for these sorts of conversations would be anything, but short and maybe not even that sweet.

So it was for time’s sake versus avoidance that he said what he said, but it appeared his attempt to be smooth about it all and just deal with it when they were at their destination didn’t work so well. He saw the look given to him by the other and honestly if he wasn’t in a human form the other might’ve seen his usually longish ears lower in a bit of distress; however, that did not happen as Rika winced a bit at the words.

“Me? Poker face?” he would look away as he let out a low scoff and shook his head. Yeah...that was probably not going to happen. Not that it was important though. What was important was the fact the other was displeased at the situation or at least the way it was handled. Rika would look back over at the other, his face serious as red eyes watched him.

“I know you ain’t digging right now, but let’s get something straight. I am not trying to hide anything from ya. It is true, there is a question I have for ya and also something we probably should address head on if you are serious about walking a path with me; however, said question and issue would probably take a good while to untangle and find solutions to, so I thought to place them on pause until we got settled at our destination. So don’t take my words as trying to avoid the problems at hand.” He wasn’t going to run, so the other had nothing to fear there.

Well however, that little snagged worked out, it seemed things would get better once they were over that hurdle and moving onto things in a more playful realm. When Rika pulled a calmer and more subtle reaction to the air against his ear, he heard the other give a hmph and found himself giving a grin of amusement at that as his red eyes seem to glitter slightly with some form of pleasure or glee.

“Aww. Disappointed?” he would tease back verbally since doing more than that could probably end up in a result like toppling them over or some other shenanigan neither wanted. Regardless of where that went the demon would roll with it before turning away to focus on driving. He would hear the comment the other made, but instead of speaking again, he would let out an amused “Heh” as he let the play end there for now.

From there, there would be silence for a while as they traveled to their destination and in time got off the bike and began their walk to the forest. As they moved, the gravel would shift to a grass and gravel mix before finally smoothing out into green grass. As they entered the the shady area of the forest, Rika would shake his head at the question posed.

“No my form doesn’t dictate how I act. More like where I am or who I am with. Normally, I am pretty tame and don’t bother with folk much. Keep to myself and act more or less normal by human standards, you know? Though with someone I trust or in a place I am comfortable in, I tend to do other things and general be relaxed. The more comfortable I am, the more natural I am. Otherwise, I come off scripted and just plan...ugh for a lack of a better word. I am sure you don’t want that and it is not exactly the best representation of who I am for real. Outside that I just honestly wanted to be in a place where I didn’t have to hide fully. So here we are.” The demon would stretch a bit, the human illusion cracking as his horns reappeared and his wings remained folded against his back. This form still wasn’t his true form, but even so it felt so much better than being pure human. Anyway…

He would chuckle lightly at the next set of words.

“Well we are going to walk and perhaps meet some spirits along the way. Though my main goal here is just to let what happens, happens. I cannot exactly plan getting to know someone as much as I would like to try sometimes, so the playing field is pretty open to whatever.”

What was said would result in a mild frown. Well, the guy was right that this had a lot to do with how it was handled. If you can’t really keep it looking like there’s nothing extra going on, then maybe it would be better to be straight about your intentions. How was he supposed to know they guy wasn’t brushing it away with the intention to hide something otherwise? There had been nothing said about it before now, and as much as he could make guesses at what was happening, he wasn’t psychic just yet. He would sigh faintly. ‘’Maybe you should have been clear about what you were doing in the first place then. I can’t be guaranteed to take your words a certain way when you don’t give me a reason to. All I knew was that you gave the vibe that something was off, while you brushed it off by making it sound like everything was fine. I can’t tell whether you’re hiding something or just postponing it simply by staring at you.’’ Definitely not when he didn’t know the demon enough to be able to make a good guess. And also be able to trust that he was most likely assuming the right thing. If the guy had been trying to hide something, and he stayed quiet instead of bringing it up, then it wouldn’t have had the nicest ending, would it? Since he had no way of knowing at all, he found it better to speak up, even if it meant clashing over it. It’s not like he didn’t butt heads with people on a daily basis anyway. What happened, happened though…

Oddly enough, the poking he received in return only made him more tempted to actually bite the guy hard, although he wasn’t completely sure why. One thing was for certain though, it did take him mildly aback for a few seconds. ‘’….’’ Was he really? ‘’…I don’t know.’’, he would just mutter after a moment. He really didn’t. Well, he did feel like he expected something else, but he wasn’t sure what that something else was even supposed to be, and whether it would be better than what actually happened or not. Thus he could hardly say whether he was disappointed or not for real. Perhaps that wouldn’t matter for now however, as the small back and forth would soon fade away due to them needing to stop fooling around and leave already. Well, he could busy himself pondering the puzzling stuff, if nothing else…

Until they were once again walking, and he had a different kind of conversation to contend with. He would look off into the distance for a while, not really looking at the other as the answer to his question was given. To be honest, he wasn’t sure he understood. Yes, it was true that he would rather that the demon acted like himself…but what was the point if the guy could only do that when he was away from normal civilization? The majority of the time, there would be some people in the area, and while they could go for trips like these, that was no way to live. He wasn’t a normal person himself, but it wasn’t like he could just camp in forgotten places like this most of his time. He would frown, finally looking back at the other with a somewhat confused gaze. ‘’I’m…not sure I follow this correctly. While yes, I would prefer you to not act in a forced way…you know that most of the time we will probably be around other people, and not in secluded places where you can be away from that? The way you speak sounds like you need such to be who you are, but if that’s the case, how often would you actually be yourself then?’’ It didn’t sound like the best thing ever. Sure he could at times be alone with the guy and have no interruptions happening, but such can almost never be guaranteed for too long at once. How was he supposed to really see the guy for who he was enough for it to even matter then…?

And speaking of getting to know someone…., well, he honestly didn’t know how to feel about this right now. One can’t really plan such a thing out completely, that much is true, but would leaving everything super open be any better? Because he was hardly good at bringing matters up out of thin air, and in case the demon expected that to be happening pretty often, then this would just turn out to be a pretty silent walk in the end. On top of that, he didn’t think he cared much about meeting some spirits. He came here to get to know the other, not to accidentally spend most of the time making friends with other beings or such. Though, he just didn’t know why he felt so bothered by this entire thing. Sometimes he really hated that. Those annoying moments when he simply couldn’t figure out what the feeling he was getting was at all. Well, he kind of knew in an abstract way, but there was no way he could put a finger on what to call it if he needed to explain himself. A bit caught up in his own world for the moment, he wouldn’t say much aloud, but if the demon was paying attention, then he would see that he was definitely conflicted about something at the very least.

Rika’s face would remain serious yet non-hostile as his red eyes took in the reaction the other had to his words regarding his behavior. To the frown and the words that follow, Rika would nod lightly at it. “I understand that my behavior is confusing at times, so I will work on being more clear about my feelings or thoughts on the matter. We can work on communicating better with each other and in turn perhaps cutting short these interpretations issues..or at least make them a bit easier to swallow when they do come up. We can add it to the list of things to discuss at our destination, yes?” he would look back up at the other at this point to see both reaction and to hear what he had to say.

Despite anxiety causing the problem as the problem was laid out before him, the demon took to it relatively calm. There was no flaring or getting overly defensive of the matter. He wasn’t going to make excuses for his errors nor was he gonna laugh it off and try to convince the other nothing was wrong. It wasn’t his style to play those sorts of games and even less of his style to lie like that. He didn’t like those games being played upon him and found it unfair to play them on others, so he would remain open and honest about this issue and whatever other issues may come. Sure it may not be fun or smooth all the time, but sometimes these clashes were needed in order to grow and learn things that could perhaps make future situations run with the least amounts of snags. That aside though…

It seemed that seriousness would melt into play which in turn melted into high amusement for Rika as the back and forth continued. When the other seemed to be a bit taken aback by his playful poke, Rika would watch him with an amused smirk before he grinned, showing a bit of his teeth as he shook his head at the response given. “You dunno?” he would repeat as his hands grasped the bike’s handles. “Hmhm cute,” he would chuckle and then leaving it at that. They would be on their way.

With the past addressed, the present could now go on as bike rides through the open and quiet roads became a walk and conversation in a rather tranquil forest that hummed with natural life and very little human life with the exception of themselves (or rather the man with him). There were probably others here, but the place was huge and the chances of running into another human or a group rare.

It definitely gave them space to be alone and quite frankly that is what the demon liked. He didn’t have to worry about the noise associated with the city or people in general. Not that he really cared that those things existed, he just found a more peaceful start a better start than the latter...though of course there would be some mistranslations of what he was saying and doing here.

The demon would watch the surroundings his ears perking up at sounds and his eyes drifting lazily to address movements here and there. He was taking it in, letting the nature calm and re-energize after being stuck inside for so long. Despite doing this though, he was still highly aware of the other. When he gave his answer to the inquiry, he would give the other time to process things before looking back at the other to meet a confused gaze. Blinking a bit puzzled at this, he would listen to what the other had to say to the matter before looking away and nodding a bit.

“We understand that this case is special or unique; however, what I mean is I tend to be more natural when I am comfortable in general. I don’t need a particular place or anything like that to be me. I just need to be comfortable with what is happening to chill out,” he said and then pausing he would sigh before continuing. “When I am uncomfortable the end results come out like they did back in the town. I uh...have anxiety issues and so I can come off very confusing, or panicky or just wrong in a fashion at times. I try to contain it, but as you noted I don’t have a poker face for it, so its pretty easy to tell when I am wound up; however, 98% of what is causing me to flip out and panic has nothing to do with what is going on in general, but more like me just fighting with me. The anxiety has the tendency to flare up more and more, the more uncomfortable I get. I just tense up and cut thing short stuff like that. It is a piece of me that is there though so that is what comes into play when i speak of becoming robotic or scripted. Outside of that, I am pretty laid back and pretty much I am what you get, so what you’ve seen of me so far is no lie. Nothing I show of ourselves would be a lie. Just piece little old me.”

He wondered if that even answered the question. He thought it did, but maybe it didn’t. Maybe he missed something. He wasn’t sure, but he sure wished his mind didn’t try and think so much on the matter and just wait to see what happened, but nope anxiety go! Geez...the things that happened within sometimes.

From there it would seem things would go into a very odd territory as Rika pretty much left the planning here vague. Yes, he did mention spirits, but that part was more of a joke than an actual thing to do. He had come out here to get to know the other and well outside of that just walk and practice being in the moment. So he really didn’t know what else one would expect out of this. Speaking of expectations, he would never understand or know the other’s if the guy didn’t say much and kept whatever made him show discomfort inside. It was ironic really since the guy was just getting on his case earlier for not being clear, yet was he not being just a vague and confusing, but in a different fashion?

Rika would observe the other quietly taking note of his behavior before looking off towards the path ahead of him. He was quiet for a moment, but eventually he would respond to the comment.

“And yet it is not great,” he would begin as he kept his eyes watching the path ahead for a moment and then shifting red orbs to look up at the other he would continue a faint smile on his lips, but one that did not reach the seriousness within his eyes. “You say, I brush things off and don’t address them, but i wonder if maybe you do something similar with your silences. You became very vague with the whole closeness thing back in town and now you are doing something similar once more though whether it is because you have issues with my planning or something else I can’t tell. If you want this to work out, you’re gonna have to speak to me here and express what is going on with ya. I can’t be the only one having to be clear here. It works both ways, so tell me. What’s eatin’ ya?”

‘’Maybe so…’’, he would just sigh faintly. This was either going to end fine, or downright a mess, and he wasn’t sure which outcome was actually more likely to be the truth. On one hand, he would sure like having less face offs like this one happen, but on the other, he was rather uncertain as to whether it could work out easily enough. He felt like communication was not going to be super easy, no matter what they did, and trying to discuss it would likely tangle it all up even more than it already was. Then again, what choice did he have? Brushing it off wasn’t really an option if they wanted to get somewhere with this…

It was obvious that neither of them were the best at straightforward talk at times, each for their own reasons, and whether that could be cleared up well enough remained a question. Whether they would be able to find an answer to it however, was something he really didn’t know. It seemed like it would be pretty tough, as it always is when you put two people with similar enough behaviors together. If both people do something, who’s going to be the one to make that change…?

Once they actually flipped over to less depressing sounding matters though, he would let that pass for the time being as he dealt with the poking. ‘’Is that so…’’, he would trail off, with a somewhat unreadable expression when the demon opted to call him cute because of his claim. Whatever was going on his mind was a puzzle as always, but at that moment it didn’t quite matter anyway, as they had some traveling to get done and over with.

At the very least, the place they went to was kind of nice, and he could appreciate the lack of annoying crowds passing by. On the other hand, he was mildly unsure as to what they would be doing here. Not that he disliked simply wandering around, but they would have to do something interesting too, no? They wouldn’t stick with each other for very long if things became boring between them after all. He guessed they could talk, that is, but what about, he had no idea. Outside of maybe the issues that were brought up before, but he felt a little skeptical about the quality of the date if they ended up only discussing serious stuff during its entirety. That can get draining easily.

Anyway, confusion time for now. Well, sort of. He would shake his head slightly at the lengthy explanation he was given, seemingly even more puzzled than he was beforehand. This time though, it was for a slightly different reason than the original one. ‘’I just…don’t understand this.’’, he would mutter, furrowing his brows in thought. ‘’I’m not good at making people feel more comfortable most of the time, and yet, somehow they stick to me even when that fact is an issue of sorts. I really don’t get why sometimes.’’ It just didn’t make sense. Why stay around him, considering he was probably a really bad pick for someone that struggled with such matters? If anything, he was probably a master at making people uncomfortable, or just making them cow down in general, whether it was on accident or not. ‘’I don’t know how well this is going to go…’’ After all, technically what happened in town started because of him bringing something up and then the whole poking around it started. He wasn’t the best at letting things go when he felt like not doing so, and that could be a little troubling there. It wasn’t that he enjoyed pushing people most of the time, but it kind of just happened. What happened back then with Jezz was probably one of the best examples of how bad it could really get when unchecked, and just plain friction filled from both sides.

Regardless of that, it would seem that this walk was already starting very oddly, with rather tough matters being brought up right away, one after another. Then again, guess they did have quite a few problems that demanded attention, didn’t they? And none of them were simple, apparently. For a moment, he would just stare at the guy blankly. ‘’That’s…’’ It looked like he was going to say something, but would just pause afterwards, his expression turning into a somewhat unsettled frown. It seemed like he was trying to think pretty hard, and maybe the other would actually be able to see gears turning in his head. That is, if such a thing was possible. The silence would last for a good minute at least, before he kind of just gave up on it as he narrowed his eyes slightly. Whatever was up, he was certainly having a tough time with it, his entire stance somewhat stiff. ‘’That’s…the problem though. I don’t know if I can. You may have your..panic moments, or whatever you’d like to call it, but at least…you seem to do good at explaining afterwards. I don’t really..know how. It seems easy to say…just talk, but I don’t know how to put what happens in my head into words. And when I try, it only comes off as if I have a problem with the other person, whether that is true or not. I guess….there’s a good reason why I normally don’t go out with people. I can’t get them to understand what I’m saying…it always goes wrong somehow. And most are pretty obvious about the fact that they think I’m treating them badly, which doesn’t help it any….’’, he would turn his head to look off at some random place restlessly. ‘’I’m not good at just talking….maybe that’s why your idea is not so great. We may just end up walking in silence if nothing happens….’’ He could do this decently enough through text maybe, but in person…well, unless he didn’t quite care about what the person thought of him at all, it could easily become a disaster. For many reasons…

To the sigh and response he received, Rika’s expression would remain calm enough as he gave a light nod in turn. On the surface, it would seem as if he was agreeing to the maybe, but deep down he kind of had the same concerns that the other had. Perhaps even more so since his mind had the tendency to place the worst at the end of the tunnel. It was a fact that neither were content with this situation and while he did offer a solution to the issue, his solution was not the end all to the problem and maybe in the end not even the correct path at all. It was hard to say and even murkier to see since both males seemed to be in the boat of keeping internal workings inside rather than expressing them out loud.

Rika did it out of fear of potentially making things worst by saying something wrong, his overthinking shutting him down for the time being. He wanted to address the problems at hand, make it all work out smoothly, but in the end he didn’t know how to do said thing. Yes he could make suggestions all day and perhaps behind a keyboard and screen he could come off relatively calm and collected; however, face-to-face the issues were amplified since there was no where to hide and clashes were indeed going to be way more involved than if it was disagreement across text. All of these things came into play weighing down and keeping the pair silent for better or worse no one knew. The point was this was probably not a good thing, especially if neither male stepped out the box or made the effort to try. It was a questionable situation for sure, but in the end only time could actually reveal if this was okay or not.

Moving past that uncertain moment, the demon’s mind would pull itself from darker and heavier thoughts as the situation around the pair seemed to brighten as a small game of teasing began. It was all fun and light hearted until the cute comment came up. While the demon didn’t see any harm in what he said, he did take note of the tone of the other’s voice and when he turned briefly to look at him, he spotted the unreadable expression there...and kind of felt his stomach turn uncomfortably. Did he...really make a mistake with that one?

He would sigh a bit inwardly his body becoming slightly tense with anxiety under the other’s grip as the demon looked away, fighting with himself for a second as he shifted to get the bike moving. “It is so.” He would respond back in a quiet fashion that made it hard to tell exactly what the demon was thinking as he said it. His expression was neutral, the grins and smiles from before gone as he seemed to focus on the task of driving and getting to their destination rather than whatever tormented him now. Maybe it would cause a problem and maybe it wouldn’t. All he knew was right now he did not wish to let his thoughts go all over place and dig himself into a grave.

The good thing about the ride and silence though was that it gave the demon time to air out his head both literally and figuratively. As they drove, the tension within would leave his body and his mind would become calm, so about time they actually arrived at their destination the demon was back to being his normal stable self and his mood good once more.

As for what was going to occur from here the demon honestly didn’t know at the moment. It was true the forest here had some interesting things in it to explore and see due to the fact it wasn’t a normal place. Even so, it wasn’t like he mapped places to go in the area nor was it like he could be completely sure things were exactly the same as years ago, so this outing was mainly to chat and walk...though how long that would last was a question of great mystery. It was true that Rika could indeed be casual and walk for a bit talking, but the demon had a habit of unexpectedly changing up things or doing something else on a whim just to keep himself entertained and the fact he had another with him? Well it probably wouldn’t change that nature of his. Exploring and doing things at random was something that he and the blonde had in common, so it was no telling what would happen. Though he had to wonder how long he would last if it always fell on him to do such things. Huh. Well that was a thought for later to deal with. For now though, he would remain calm and content with what was happening now, his mind just going with the moment instead of thinking too hard about this or that. Well that was until he had address the elephant in the room so to speak.

Telling the other about his anxiety was….a stressful event, but somehow, he managed to get it out and while at first he had thought the shake of the head and puzzled look was due to perhaps the other being turned off by this fact, he found himself slightly relieved when the other voiced what was bothering him. Listening his body relaxed from the unconscious tension that had come over him when he made his confession for a few seconds only to tense again as he heard the last words.

To what was said, the demon’s eyes would drift away from the other as he focused on the pathway ahead, his face a somewhat pained expression as he took in this uncomfortable matter.

“I...am not sure myself what will become of this, but….I know for myself, you being that way might actually be a bit of what I need. I didn’t tell you my issues because I want you to support me or bend over backwards trying to make me feel better. I told you because...it is a real issue for me. I know it needs to be fixed and I am working on it in my own way. You say you make people uncomfortable and aren’t good with this sort of stuff, but I think maybe I need a bit of firmness and strength in my life. To help me stand too. I can’t be babied forever….and don’t want to. The path is uncertain, but I want to try even if it maybe a mess here and there. If I was going run or turn my nose up at you for being you, then we wouldn’t have made it this far. Let alone be talking about these matters. The bigger question though is...are you okay with this?”

The demon would say this all calmly despite feeling uncomfortable inwardly. He was terrified to be honest. Terrified of screwing up and in turn losing what may or may not be good for him. It wasn’t desperation, but rather a fear of failing and getting hurt. It was true he didn’t know the guy well. That was part of the reason they were here now after all, but at the same time, he didn’t want to scare the guy off right off the bat either. He had issues and figured being upfront about them might help things, but if the other translated what he was saying wrong...then this could indeed end in a disaster...and he honestly didn’t want that.

His issue was one thing, but in time the view would slip from himself and to the other. When the demon made his complaint known, he took note of the reaction. The blank stare, the hesitation to speak, the narrowing of the eyes and the stiffness of the body….signs he might’ve stepped on the others toes, but honestly….he had the right to do that did he not? While he wasn’t asking the guy the pour his heart out to him, the demon did need to know what the other was thinking to avoid misunderstandings and address issues the other may have. He didn’t think he was asking too much with his pry, but it seemed that maybe he was? He was uncertain for the time frame the other was quiet, but when he spoke the demon watch him quietly for a bit and then looking away his eyes would scan the path ahead.

“You say you are bad at explaining and don’t know how to do it and yet what I heard just now seemed pretty clear and concise. Now I will admit, I am probably not the best for ya if you want someone who is not going to react in an emotional fashion towards ya. I am going to express myself….and to be honest, I may be a bit too expressive at times, but if I get that way back me up. It is as simple as that,” he would pause to take a breath before looking over at the other. “I am not sure what to say to make you feel better, but know that you don’t have to be perfect or say things in a fashion that won’t step on my toes or hurt my feelings. You told me already some of the issue and if my brain is working right, you told the blonde that you didn’t cut corners and weren’t sweet as pie...and for me that is okay. I am not asking you to chage yours ways, I am just asking you to trust me a bit and at least try to explain it. I might not get all the time, but I think at least with things on the table it can be worked out.” After all what was left unsaid could become a problem far uglier than if they simply wrestled or buttheads about things. As for that other matter….

“Well that might be a problem then,” the demon said as he paused in his walking to stretch out his wings and after a bit of flapping pulled himself off the ground and began to hover in the air. As he did this a fox like tail would materialize from behind and flick the air quietly as his ears became slightly longer and more pointed. Not seeming to be bothered by these changes the demon would continue. “You see I am not a very entertaining fellow, so I am probably gonna bore ya. Even so, I gotta try a bit not to put you to sleep right?,” he said as he gave the other a light smirk and then jerking his head lightly towards the trees to the left he would begin to drift in that direction. It seemed the demon wanted the other to follow.

Silence was indeed a powerful tool. It could bring about both good and bad results, depending on how it was handled by the parties involved of course, but at the end of the day, no silence was completely meaningless, was it? Maybe the atmosphere between the two of them was a little tense thanks to the set of exchanges that happened one after another, but if nothing else, it allowed both of them some time to think without constant interruption. Was that a good thing, or a bad thing? Perhaps it was in fact both, seeing as the demon seemed to only get more anxious about it all by indulging in the quietness. As they say though, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right? Sharaku had his own thoughts on the matter himself, but for that timeframe, he wouldn’t speak up anymore, simply observing what was happening both before and after they got on the bike as he pondered over the matter. One thing was for certain, both of them appeared to prefer stirring things around on the inside instead of putting it on display unless it was forced to be that way. Usually, at the very least, although both of them did what they did for different reasons. While the demon was mostly busy gripping his brain with anxiety, his thinking was more or less clear. Yes, he certainly had his worries about certain matters, because who wouldn’t, and on more than one occasion, he did indeed wish that he could just stop being bothered by stuff so easily, but was he scared of it? At the end of the day, the answer would always be no. He just needed some time to run all of it through his mind before he could settle on a firm decision, which could easily make him come off as skittish when he was put on the spot without being able to take his time, mainly when the topic of discussion was a serious one. Well, he still tried at times, but he typically could not, as letting silences drag on too long could make it come off as if he was ignoring the person, or simply refusing to communicate with them. Alas, being put under the pressure of speaking when he wasn’t one hundred percent sure of his final answer just yet did not always work out as smoothly as it should. Which was technically what happened during the talks that came up as they walked into the forest and the reason behind why they had gone the way they had…

It certainly wasn’t the most favorable set up for one to find themselves in, at least in his opinion, but he would suck it up for now. He would find a way out of this sooner or later probably. All he needed was a little bit of time to have his thoughts catch up to each other and actually come up with something solid enough instead of confusion galore and such. That’s when explaining would become a lot easier, if nothing else. In fact, maybe he was just unconsciously time stalling by posing the things he had into the picture, but whether that was true was something he himself would probably never know for sure. And if this all turned out alright, maybe he wouldn’t need to anyway. Which is what he hoped for, because if they failed to keep going forward already, it would likely mean the whole dating idea was not a good one, for one reason or another.

That said, he would listen to the extra info he was being given on the whole anxiety issue, absentmindedly playing with the collar of his top with his right hand, as well as watching Rika out of the corner of his eyes. He would click his tongue lightly in thought, responding after a few moments, although taking a more indirect way of answering the question he was being posed. ‘’A lot of what you claim is relative, and so is the question you seek an answer to. Which I do not have right now. What I can say though, is that I don’t intend to judge you in the way you are afraid of.’’ The answer appeared to be rather simple in the face of all that had been said, however, the meaning of it was what mattered the most. Whether the demon could understand it or not was anyone’s guess though.

Speaking of understanding and being okay with things, the next subject would spiral into another set of attempts at putting out the possible fires. Which went more or less neutrally at the end of it all. One thing was true, the other was right about the fact that the two of them were usually night and day when it came to the amount of expressiveness, but that in itself probably wasn’t the underlying issue in it all. However, the next part that was said did actually help, albeit maybe not in the way the guy would have expected it to. While it didn’t make things better just like that, it certainly gave him something new to think about there. He wouldn’t respond right away, a light thoughtful frown on his face for the time being, as he took his time to process the mess of facts bouncing around the inside his skull at that moment. It’s odd how epiphanies can seem to come literally out of nowhere sometimes, but what the other said made him realize something. This whole time, he had been trying to figure out just why did this whole matter feel so..wrong in a sense, and why was he more bothered and wound up for the entirety of this rather than anything else. Now though, he had a feeling he knew what was actually happening…

Still, putting this out into appropriate words would not be all that easy, and even less so since he could only afford a limited amount of time to think over what he was going to say exactly. One way or another though, it needed to be done, or at least he would say that it did. He would take a deep breath as he rubbed his temples for a short moment, opting to go out of his way to cut things short for now. Oh yes, he had said that they would have to do more than just expect interesting talk to materialize out of nowhere, but Rika was jumping onto the bandwagon a bit too fast, considering they had a lot to clear out first, before they could proceed further. After all, it’s not like he had been given a long time span to even address the big elephant in the room that was being spoken of before that, and he had taken the majority of the time to think instead of blurting something out right away.

With that in mind, he wouldn’t follow after the guy as he shook his head slightly. ‘’No. Wait.’’ If they got distracted now, who knows when they would get back to clearing this matter out once and for all. ‘’Whatever you are planning to do, I’d rather you do me a favor and put in on hold for the moment. If you want to talk and deal with explanations, we can’t be blitzing from one thing to another so fast. Unless you’d rather leave it behind after we already got as deep in as we have.’’ It was indeed a tough game to speak on this all, but it would sure be a huge waste of time and effort if they let it get steamrolled because of the fact that he said one little thing at the end before. Surely they could get to that once they were on the same page.

He would give the other a moment to adjust to the slight change of plans before speaking up again. ‘’I’ve given what was happening some extra thought, and I think I know what may be the problem here. It is solely my opinion, of course, but you asked me to explain and all, so if nothing else, I will give you this.’’, he would offer the demon a faint smile as he wondered how would this pan out. ‘’It took me a long while to finally figure out what I found so bothersome about…pretty much this entire hangout up till now, to be honest. And I’ll admit that we’re technically both at fault for this, so you needn’t worry about it being something you’ve done wrong. Remember what you just said a while ago? You asked me to trust you and try to explain. Sounds simple at a first glance, that much is sure, but is it really? To trust someone means to be willing to accept their way without fretting about it too much. What we’ve been doing this whole time….I actually see it as the exact opposite. A rather gaping lack of that exact trust, as much as it may not appear obvious.’’, he would pause for a moment, is smile turning into a somewhat wry one. ‘’I do understand that differences between us need to discussed one way or another, but I think we’ve been going about it the wrong way. If we really wanted to trust each other, there would be no need to immediately poke and question the moment something didn’t go the way one of us expected. We wouldn’t need to go all those extra measures just to make sure the other is okay with what we’re doing and that there is no reason to keep worrying. To me, it comes off as if we don’t trust each other to know what needs to be said and what doesn’t, because all we do is push for explanations right away, instead of believing that the other knows what they are doing even when choosing to stay quiet.’’, he would shake his head, almost a little amused.

‘’What we’re really doing is putting extra pressure on each other, attempting to settle all issues between us right away and bring them into the light, even though this is only the first date which I think isn’t really meant to be an in depth psychological analysis of who we are. Opening up to another person takes time, and relies on how comfortable we are with each other. Imagine for example…if there was a video game which allowed you complete free reign as to where you head next in its world, regardless of your current experience. And you went and tried to tackle level 20+ enemies while still being only level 1 yourself. You’d be putting yourself under a lot of stress, and fear that you will fail and get a game over if you make even so much as one wrong step in such a territory. Do you understand what am I getting at?’’

Well, if the guy had been honest when claiming that he found his explanations pretty clear and concise, then hopefully the message would get understood.

‘’I think all we’re doing is making things worse, and causing ourselves to doubt everything more than is necessary as time goes, even our own ability to keep things in line. This needs to stop. And what I mean by that is that while learning about each other is definitely important, it has to be done a different way. This whole time, aside from that brief moment on the bike, all I felt was as if I was being constantly forced to act my best to avoid an issue from popping up and messing everything up, even though that was not anyone’s real intention. I don’t know you well enough to say for sure, but I believe you feel a similar way, based on what you’ve told me about your anxiety problems. Well, that’s my guess at the very least.’’, he would shrug slightly before continuing. ‘’What I propose is that we stop trying to analyze every action and word the other does and says, seeking clarification to just about everything that happens. Unless something is undeniably very wrong, we need to be willing to trust that it will get dealt with when the time is right, rather than trying to dig it out prematurely, causing both of us to just stress over a matter that could have been handled in a more pleasant way if we let it play out without interfering or worrying too quickly. A question to make sure at times is okay, but asking someone to put a possibly personal matter on the table for you to feast on right away is more a sign of one’s own insecurity, rather than an attempt to seek trust from the other person in my opinion. If they trust you and care, I think they would come to you sooner or later by their own choice, which is more meaningful than if you pressured them to spill it on the spot no matter how uncomfortable it may be for them.’’ And if both of them were just constantly on edge, what would be the point of dating? If two people can’t truly enjoy the time they spend together, what does that make them?

‘’I think I will rest my case for now though. The next move is yours. What would you do?’’

Silence and time to yourself, it was something that was a blessing most of the time, but also a curse at another time. The two males that walked along the path seemed to share this need for space and time. Space and time to think, space and time to calm down. There were similarities there alright, but also things that placed them on the opposites ends of the board. Things that could potentially cause friction and misinterpretation and if handled wrong turn a good thing into something miserable.

While the demon wasn’t 100% sure, he could recall fragmentary things about the blonde and the other with him. Fragments that spoke of friction and left uncomfortable worries in the back of his mind. Worries that caused him to over compensate and perhaps at the end of the day try too hard to make things work. After all, he was the one that asked the other out not the blonde, the desire to get to know the other and be with him something real and unexplainable within the demon. Though this did not count as love at first sight. No it was more like he saw a potential companion he felt he could get along with and in time learn to love as a friend and perhaps something even more. By taking the first wild step by asking the other out and essentially stepping off of the metaphorical cliff, he had placed himself in a situation where he could see if he was right or wrong about what he felt. He wanted to know was it just a pull because he wanted to be just a friend with the other or was this something more? A complex way of courting and what not, but definitely how the demon saw the situation.

Did that mean his teases from earlier were lies when they spoke of sex and all that online? Nope. That was quite real and yes his imagination did go there, but that was the thing. That was his wandering imagination that pointed towards the fact that for whatever reason he was comfortable with the what was happening and liked the guy enough to consider the option of something more with the guy. The fact he considered the possibility of having the guy involved in his life beyond a friend zone is what caused the demon to take the next step forward and actually see if this was a feeling was true.

...And with that step came the expected things of reality. Different personalities, clashes, anxiety, etc, etc. The complex cogs of the thing called life worked their way into the equation along with whatever the other party brought with them when they entered the ring. It was a tough road naturally and despite anxiety making it more scary than needed to be, the demon stood firm on his path as he continued to walk alongside the other and talk.

When he fell silent, his eyes would catch the other playing with his collar, but it wasn’t until the guy actually responded back that the demon turned red orbs to look at him. He heard what was said alright, but it would take him a few seconds to analyze that and in turn come to his own form of conclusion on it. In time, the demon would nod a bit as he did his best to make himself relax more, the unconscious tension from anxiety was gonna kill his back at this rate. Anyway…

“I think I understand,” he would begin as he looked from the other to the ground. “That is good to know.” And that was true. He was okay with the fact that perhaps the other was okay with his issue as whole, but the rest of all that? He wasn’t to sure if there was more to it than that, but he figured if it was more then in time it would reveal itself, but for now he faced off with the uncomfortable thing that was vagueness and uncertainty. Faced it and told himself it was okay that it was there. It took a second, but his mind would eventually accept the fact and in turn stop the chaotic anxiety train that could’ve come due to worrying and fretting over things that were not really there or hadn’t happened. It kept him in the moment and helped him move on to other things.

Things that caused frowns and temple rubbing from the other? Yeah, Rika saw that as he began to drift off of the path; however, at the other words, the demon would actually pause and look back at the other. To what was heard, the demon’s head would tilt slightly as he gave the other a calm look staying quiet for a moment as he seemed to consider the words spoken. Then with a slow cat like blink, the demon would nod and drift back over the other’s side. “Alright fair enough,” he would respond back easily enough as he settled to floating or walking (are we still walking?) next to the other for the time being. It was true the demon could bounce from one thing to another and it was also true that there was an oddity at the end of the path he had attempted to go; however, it was not like the path would’ve led to said spot in the instance. They would’ve had time to talk still, but if the other preferred to stay on this path then potentially go down one that could throw them off track, then the demon was fine with that. Perhaps it was best to take this one step at a time versus trying to multi-task and make it more complicated than needed.

As Rika adjusted to the change, he would tilt his head at the other a sign, he wanted him to go on and say what was on his mind. Though what came was a bit hard to swallow all at once so the demon took it in bit by bit, remaining quiet as he listened to the other talk.

To the first bit, the demon would actually blink a few times as he processed what the other thought the issue was between them, his face crumpling into a light frown as his hand automatically went to his left ear. He would stare off to the side of the other in thought as he absentmindedly petted his ear as he thought. Now that he thought on it, that made a lot of sense. They did do that, but he supposed he made it worse for himself by trying too hard to compensate for it all too, thus creating more friction “Perhaps that is not far from the truth,” the demon say, but not push further than that as his eyes drifted back up to the other. He would take in the amused look, but for the most part would shake his head lightly as a small smile came to his face that would quickly turn into a sheepish one as he listened to the other continue onward. When he posed the question at the end, the demon hand would shift to run through his hair as he nodded.

“The message is loud clear, Sharaku. We can see the error and when we really step back and look at it, we can agree that the problem you have found is more than likely the biggest cause of the friction. It makes perfect sense really, I guess I was too wrapped up in worry to actually see that.” Yeah, his anxiety could make him blind to things especially when it was high like it had been since the start of this date. He had been so worried about this and that and making things just right, that he did not realize in a fashion he was adding fuel to a fire that they both created simply due to the way they were so similar and yet so different at the same time. It was odd and hard to clearly define, but at the same time the demon found the fact the other could step back and see the bigger picture a welcome change and also helpful in helping him do the same since he would admit, he could remain unconsciously on top of something and not see the truth for a long while when left to his own devices. It didn’t mean he was incapable of finding the truth, but rather he took a longer path than normal thanks to having to battle with internal things to get there. So having someone that did not go through that process and could see potential issues faster than him or clearer than him was a blessing and something he was glad Sharaku had. If they both suffered from the same anxiety issue? Man….that would be rough on a whole other level. That aside though….

To the rest of what was said, the demon was quiet for a moment as he leaned back in the air and crossed one leg over the other before crossing his arms. His tail would flick a bit as he considered the other with a thoughtful expression and a light smile. He was nodding a bit to some unspoken thought and actually took a minute or two to answer, but before the silence could get uncomfortable he would speak.

“I could kiss you to be honest,” he would begin with a grin, but then hold his hand up to stop any form of protest that may come. “However, it is not for the reasons one may assume. I told you earlier that I was too wrapped up with my own worry to see a potential truth and that was no lie. Honestly it would’ve taken us way longer to reach this point if you hadn’t grab the sucker by the horns and pulled it into the light revealing the issue for what it really was. Alot of what you said is true and yes our feeling on the matter is similar to yours. I admit...the whole matter was very uncomfortable up until now and stressful. I also admit I was trying to be perfect rather than just me. I figured I had to impress you and so placed effort on other matters instead of just being me. In turn, I think I was kind of losing focus and perhaps if we continued it would’ve end up similar to things that occurred to you in the past if not worse. So we can agree this has to stop. As for what I am going to do...well I am going to do the only thing I can do. Try. Try to keep my anxiety in check and just work on letting things go and letting things grow at their own pace. It is uncomfortable because this leaves me on a path I cannot see well and honestly do not know how to approach or travel appropriately. We've been holding onto stuff so long it is scary to just let go, but I think it needs to be done. It is not an easy fix and maybe it will cause problems, but at the same time this is what I want to try and do. And who knows, maybe in the end it will be alright for myself and us too,” the demon would say as he looked up at the other a bit shy. It was very odd admitting this stuff out loud and taking this step onto an uncertain path; however, as scared as he was about the matter, he felt a bit lighter just by doing this, so maybe...maybe this was okay. Anyway, after he was done speaking on that matter, he would look up at the other he would ask. “And you? What do you plan to do?”

Yes, space and time was definitely appreciated. For as long as he didn’t want to actually talk instead, that is. Which was probably not too often, but anything can happen, right? Regardless, Rika seemed to indeed be overthinking the situation, and making it into what it was not. While his short relation with Jezz had been pretty downhill and bad, it didn’t need to mean anything. Every person was different, and so would end up getting a different treatment, wouldn’t they? Therefore, what happened back then was more or less moot, unless the demon thought he was literally the same as the blonde was, in which case it could be a problem. However, he most like wasn’t, so it wasn’t a big deal at all.

Certain things apparently were though, but that wasn’t entirely unexpected. He would remain silent when the other claimed that the answer given was understood. If that was true, then there wasn’t much more for him to say, lest he would make it come off as if there was more to what he had said after all. Then again, he couldn’t even know just how well did Rika understand his point in the first place, so perhaps there was more to it than the demon was thinking, in which case only time would probably tell. Besides, he didn’t think an answer to that question was that crucial anyway, since his thoughts about that would come to light one way or another. If he wasn’t okay with it, then it would eventually show in the way he acted, wouldn’t it? Which meant it wasn’t even necessary to give a verbal answer, unless it was a situation like this one, when a person wanted to know right away instead of letting it show itself. To be honest though, that was also the reason why his answer had been vague. Too early for him to just claim whether he was completely okay with it or not. How can one do that without having experienced the phenomenon in question for long enough first? He needed something to base his impression off of after all. Stating a claim way too early would only make it unstable, and an easy subject for later change of mind. Nevertheless, what he had said was true. He didn’t intend to treat the guy badly, for as long as it wasn’t taken to childish drama levels and the like.

With that out of the way however, a different kind of discussion would come forth, and this time it would be a more detailed one for sure. Luckily for him, Rika had decided to comply with his request and stay around, which did make it a little easier. While it was true that he had no idea as to what the guy’s original idea had been, he didn’t want to risk it. Yes, it may have taken some time to get to the target in question, but there was also no saying how long their talk would last, for they could always end up disagreeing and going at it forever. Going along with the multi-tasking may have posed quite the risk of two different situations overlapping eventually, and he didn’t really want that. If they were going to solve issues, they better focus only on that instead of bringing random unrelated variables into the mix.

And he definitely had a lot to say there, thus even less reason to leave things up to chance. He would of course take note of the shorter responses given from the other in between his speech, but would opt to not address them one at a time. That would probably just throw him off of his line of thought, which was hardly what he wanted and would likely only cause things to get tangled up. Were he to stop mid-talk and respond to a comment that was said, he would probably forget something of what he was originally planning to say afterwards, and that would not be a nice thing at all. Interruptions could be quite the devil, really, and he preferred to avoid them unless answering to a comment was too important to shrug off until later.

He did however process what was being said, at the very least, even if he didn’t say anything towards it aloud. It was mildly amusing, really. At the end of the day, both of them were more or less busy worrying about stuff, albeit in slightly different ways. His first afterthought was typically on how to get rid of said worries in the most efficient way, which wasn’t always possible right away of course, but there was always a way even if it took some time to get there. He disliked running around in circles and always just worrying about the same thing, because as far as he was concerned, there always has to be a way to fix it. Even more so when it isn’t the kind of ‘issue’ that requires one to have loads of money or tangible resources if they want to have a chance at solving it. One just has to know where to look, and how to work with what they perceive. Well, more or less. No process is super easy to ace. Though, it would be a lie to say that he never experienced any anxiety himself. Everyone did here and there, unless they were an arrogant pompous ass who always thought they were the best and could do no wrong. It was just that…he didn’t mull over it for too long, and when he did, it was with the purpose of figuring out what he could do to cut it short, rather than giving into panicking and losing his head over it. Perhaps he was just good at analyzing things without getting too caught up in them, assuming he gave it enough focus that is. Who knew.

One way or another though, his little public speech cut scene would come to an end, giving the other a free reign to speak on the matter as well. He would snort faintly at the first statement. ‘’Would you really?’’ He didn’t seem to be trying to protest against it. Then again, he was aware that it was just a figure of speech when used like that, therefore the demon probably didn’t mean it literally anyway. In any case, he would hum faintly once the other said the rest of his piece, taking a few moments to think over it, eyeing the demon meanwhile. It appeared as if he was considering something as well, instead of simply thinking about matters, but whatever that was would remain to be seen. He would huff eventually though, opting to just get to the talking for now. ‘’If I remember well enough, I actually did tell you that I wanted to you try and impress me. But you are right. This isn’t quite what I meant by that. Forcing some sort of perfection isn’t impressive in the end, and only serves to be a temporary illusion. Even if you were to succeed, it isn’t something you could keep up with forever. I’d realize you were only trying too hard sooner or later. All I would really ask for is for you to be genuine with your attempts. That’s honestly more impressive than any kind of trying to show off.’’ Well, showing off can be funny to watch once in a while, but it isn’t something that should be the basis of a relationship between people. If it is going to work, the person has to like you for who you are, both your brilliant traits, as well as your flaws. No one can keep a perfect front forever, and not being yourself would likely make you be unhappy in the relationship in the end.

He would look off into the distance for a moment. ‘’You know…I don’t think you really need to be afraid. Not everything can be seen beforehand, and walking forward often requires you to take the risk of stepping into unknown territory. If you want to get somewhere you haven’t been before, you have to be willing to explore the new land. Otherwise you will always be stuck wandering the same places that you’re already familiar with. I think that applies to anything in life, so I’m pretty sure you’ve done that before already, whether you realize it or not. It doesn’t have to be that hard, and effort is what brings you rewards, is it not?’’, he would give the other a faint smile as he turned his eyes back on the demon. That said, he would move onto answering the question given, but not before reaching out a hand to the demon. It seemed as if he wanted Rika to take it for some reason, but whether the guy would act on the cue or not would be up to him.

‘’As for me, for now I will just go along with what happens. Until I get enough time to actually think this through. I think setting high goals too early isn’t going to help me much anyway, unless I find something else that needs immediate fixing.’’